Sarah fears life in wheelchair after HSE denies funds

A young woman with a loose joint syndrome which renders her unable to work or socialise with friends fears she will end up in a wheelchair after the HSE refused to allocate funding for vital physiotherapy treatment in the UK.

Sarah Murphy, 23, from Kinsale, Co Cork, suffers from a rare syndrome called Ehlers Danlos which is marked by extremely loose joints, hyper-elastic skin that bruises easily, and easily damaged blood vessels.

Sarah’s joints can pop out when she is performing simple everyday acts such as brushing her hair, and she is often confined to bed for days arising out of joint dislocation, hypermobility, and chronic joint and spinal pain.